Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Read A Book

UPDATE (10/10): See my interview with the creators of the "Read A Book" video here.

From the looks of this incredible video, the next generation of PSA's is here. And they're awesome/hot/fresh/dope! Apparently this has been playing on BET, but it needs to be playing everywhere (it's not tv, it's HBO). Watch the video (again and again) and then READ A BOOK! Not a sports page. Not a magazine. But a book ni**a! A f*ckin' book ni**a:

54 comments:

Something happens along the way. It seeps onto you and there you go, you become unctuous. Sticking to your toes, your stride, once bouncy, turns wobbly. You become aware of the pendulum mayhem of your arms; why can’t they stand still?; must they sway so much from side to side? You park them in your pockets but why bother, it only adds to your sketchiness.

It pervades the you that makes you you to others. There’s no smile to conceal it; there’s no outfit to embellish it; there’s no book to safeguard against it. The smile will turn into a smirk; the outfit, no matter how tasteful, into something garish; the book, a mere prop. For in their eyes you can never seem genuine, nothing can ever suit you, except something conspicuously tawdry - a scarlet sign for you.

The people in your building do not greet you. When you greet them in their language, they do not answer – your very presence renders them hearing impaired. They have become adept at stepping aside to let you through; they would rather hug walls than risk their poodles' collars touching you.

Your polite manners are interpreted as weakness whereas your assurance is nothing more than impudent puff. Leering, they sneer at you. There’s no subtlety in it. They want you to know it. And you do.

You walk into a store and your every micro-move is trailed. You go to the back to search for something and suddenly legs join in with serpentine eyes. You feel like you will snatch something against your will. For surely, everyone can tell you are a shoplifter. You must be.

You stroll down city streets, looking up at sculptures of people for they seem infinitely more human to you. You don’t look at real people at all. But you know they are looking at you. You can see them from the corner of your eye. They are staring, mouth either set or agape, distaste seething from their mouths, eyes narrowing with it too. They mutter in their passive-aggressive malaise "Get out of our country! You’re not one of us! Don’t you know it?" Yup, I do.

You are always on display, encased in a glass front window that can only be seen from outside. A trinket curiosity at best. They appraise you, earnestly enough labeling “you’re so dark.” You wonder if instead of trying to teach them a language they believe someone “like you” could only have mastered to a pigeon level, you should skip the effort and plant yourself instead as an anthropological curiosity in the local natural history museum.

You used to console yourself with Sylvia, Virginia, Frida – but now only the latter seems remotely relevant. Bloomsbury circles, influential friends and husbands, all-night parties with cultural icons…what can all this mean to you now?

In an environment like this one, your palette is barren with nothing but you, outside looking in.

I saw this video exactly one week ago while lounging in my apartment and it blew my mind. Truth be told, I am against expletives in music but this was apropos because it seems all the youth can understand these days is that which has an expletive in every other word of a verse. This video was poignant, well-produced and well thought out. I hope the little jitterbugs take heed.

Reminds of when the big hype was on trying to teach "inner city youths" in terms and concepts they would understand. Like math through rolling dice (The Wire Season 4) or understanding your household budget by using food stamps in the class room (not sure that happened). Either way it’s a matter of getting the point across and getting them to listen. I wouldn’t listen when I was younger until I watched Family Matters or Fresh Prince go through something real (is that so wrong). Loved the episode that Will had to deal with his estranged father. Good acting on the part of Will Smith or if I really wanted to date myself the Cosby show and A Different World. For me it was “cheesy” sitcoms with brief glimpses into reality, for kids now its big rims and catchy lyrics. Either way the point has to get across. Love the post. Holla at your Boy

this is indeed amuzing. but lets be clear on one point; this video was never intended to educate wayward black youth. it was intended to mock them. you and i can snicker happily knowing we no longer fall into this particluar subculture, and white america at large can laugh openly at simian dipictions of blacks with gold fronts (knowing that a black man created this), but that's all this will accomplish. its been my experience that degrading and dehumanizing a person, no matter how cleverly packaged the approach, is ineffective and inappropriate. so by all means, watch it again, and laugh your ass off. maybe the healing power of our projected laughter will convince this lost genertion to find its way home.

You get treated like garbage because the people around you, who look like you, act no better than garbage. Once this is established stereotyping is the easiest way to go about life relatively safe from the criminal element.

Triphop and kat are totally off-base and wrong. In their unrealistic little world you can't speak truth.

"Raise your kids." Why does this have to be repeated? Why? Because it isn't done. Go look at all the stats and research, the black family unit DOES NOT EXIST for a majority of blacks in America.

This stuff is simple and there is no healing to be done, this is about doing what is right, what you must do to gain respect in America. Sure if you don't want the respect you're fine to stay where you are. But have fun when you try to succeed yet come across obstacles that people who look like you have created with the abhorrent behavior.

As well, children and teenagers learn very well by guilting them over something as simple as hygiene.

I got linked here from a friend. I have to say that these comments are absolute tripe. The first comment was so hilarious. That long diatribe about being alone. If you're so aware of it, then you have the responsibility to improve your lot.

The hilarious comments about language. Go fuck yourself you shit eating prudes. Get off the internet, I know you whack it to hardcore pornography etc. I know what you do, stop being a hypocrit and shut up.

The people mentioning other PSA. Boring.

The people repeating rap lyrics. Boring.

The people suggesting this is bad because it is making fun of them. How is it making fun. It is a direct reflection of the reality today? Have you walked around in Chicago? Do you even live in the USA? Are you ignorant you dare even suggest that? Enough.

The 2 last comments, sort of borish but we'll let that fly, they at least understand the truth to, read a book, raise your kids, brush your teeth, buy land, use speed-stick.

The video exists due to a vaacum of personal responsibility (hygiene, financial responsibility, parenting), if you don't like it then change reality, not gripe about a stupid video which makes fun of people for begetting their own negative feedback loop of a culture of depravity and poverty. Time to grow up.

Interesting how this "educational" video has black women doing nothing but shaking their asses. They couldn't fit any lyrics in about respecting women, not calling them bitches/hoes, or not treating them like sex objects?

I have to agree with those who think there is little educational value to this. People know that they should do most of these things, they just choose not to. The song isn't telling them the value of doing the things it suggests, it's just saying to do them. There's no lesson here.

Hmmm....i usually make it a point not to respond to anonymous posts, but this guy(s) sounds like a real tool, so here goes. Mr. Anonymous, with the possible exception of the exortation to "fuck spinning rims", which one of the statements in the video could not also be considered good advice to the underclass of white/latino/whateverhaveyou amercia as well? You are correct, (even in the noticable absence of the "stats" you seem to be quoting from) black america has the largest number of single parent homes by PERCENTAGE. who would you guess is the largest in total number? Your self-righteous tone from the earlier post(s)leads me to believe you wont venture one, so allow me to assist. White america has that distinction hands down on sheer population numbers. Feel free to substitute "number of welfare recipents" in that last sentence, because they have that distinction as well. This is probably stuff you havent given much thought to, so allow me to pose a retorical question or two. if a scathing critique of white culture came out tomorrow, complete cartoon characterizations of all the most glaring faults of that group set to a catchy synthesized jingle, would you be so quick to give it a standing ovation? ill give you a second on that one. in the mean time, also ask yourself this; if black america as a whole miraculously reformed itself tomorrow as well, would you still miscatergorize individual faults as collective behaviour? My feeling is that you would answer no to the first question and yes to the second. and its because of this narrowmindedness that you have no place in any legitimate discussion on race. so, if you would, please gather your things and exit this discussion, this website, and if possible this planet immediately. and dont let the space shuttle door hit you in your racist ass on the way out.

Grew up in the suburbs of NYC, which is not all-white as some people think the suburbs are, and I just wanted to say that this video is focused on black people in URBAN GHETTO culture and not all black people so be clear when you make your points...

All black people don't live in the ghetto just like all white people don't live in trailer parks... some do, some don't...

Sometimes, truth hurts. It doesn't matter if it's a truth that is personal to each individual, it's how he/she deals with it.

Some people deal with that pain through tears or laughter. At least with humor, you can not just hold your head high, but throw it back and give a roar of positive energy. Laugh at the truth; mock it if you want. But don't let it beat you. Stare it in the face and say, "HA! That may be them, but it's not ME."

And absolutely - if you don't like that truth, then do something about it. Biggest problem these days is that people have become experts at running their mouths and legs to save their backs from the backbreaking labor it takes to make a change.

I'm not black; I'm not white. I'm a mixed "Other" that can relate to both sides of the arguments here. Should people who have raised themselves up out of the expected stats/materialistic and shallow mire now lower themselves back into the depths created by useless and angry words? Race is not an issue, yet racism is. It's not just semantics being argued here.

And who is deigning to judge others here? I'll not be judged by any person, here or otherwise, but nor do I judge others. I am open to other opinions and expect the same in return. I may not agree, but that's my right just as it is yours. Why be angered by difference? That's the same underlying problem in racism.

We all know the best comedy has an inkling of truth to it. Here we are listening to this "crunk ass" beat expecting to start shaking and grinding, shouting praises alongside the rest of the hedonists in the club when the emcee pulls a fast one us and drops...

Its not a PSA. its just hip hop with a message so diluted and simplified that even the most illiterate brain dead media controlled young people will understand it. Read a book!

Bomani is a well known hip hop artist in DC. He has done a lot of work with young people, and knows they challenges in communicating with them. Any 90s baby doesn't want to hear some long ass rap about colonialism and historical racism. They so brain dead when it comes to music, that they need to be tricked into some shit like this!

Triphop -They already have those cartoons you speak of ...in fact have you seen "Cops" or "Jerry Springer". They are almost self-parodying in their ridiculousness. I also get that you feel that Mr. Anonymous was laughing just a little too hard, but, doesn't dismissing him as having no part in the discussion make you just as prejudicial as you assume that he is. In fact, your "Deliverance" comment was about as racially loaded a comment as I've ever heard. Additionally, I am not sure where you live, but, In DC and Chicago where I've grown up in the inner city areas these stereotypes are all too true (very sadly). It would be ludicrous to suggest that this is completely offbase unless you haven't spent much time in the inner city. The biggest problem is education (see...lack thereof), but sadly, until education is taken more seriously by the educators and parents in our inner cities and until the students themselves start taking more personal responsibility, we will be destined to produce an essentially functionally unemployable (and regretably sometimes illiterate as well)class of young people with little upward mobility or hope. This will continue to engender the type of crass materialism, immediate gratification, and hedonistic attitudes so commonplace today. Obviously, this "lifestyle" is mostly unsustainable and yet, unfortunately, so successfully self-perpetuating. Rome wasn't built in a day, but, it is never too late to start laying a new foundation. The cartoon is grotesque and exagerrated to be sure, but, I think that is part of the point..... to make the next generation a bit more self reflective and maybe even just pissed off enough to collectively do something about it. Tutor, mentor, big brother, big sister, educate, encourage and support and someday we'll be able to laugh at the cartoon a little less defensively. Just a thought.....

hey dream big, interesting post earlier. i feel that we are primarily in agreement as far as the middle third of your comment is concerned. the initial and final thirds look to require some clarification/revision. "cops" and "jerry springer" as you noted might as well be charicatures for white racial sterotypes, and might even be analogous to this video were it not for two important points. 1)neither "cops" nor "springer" subjects are exclusively of one race. 2)neither "cops" nor "springer" is mascarading as an educational device. on cops, for every meth'd out white guy cowering beneath a kiddie pool there is a black crackhead babbling incoherently about a crime he witnessed. too, neither the producers of "cops" nor "springer" are portraying their shows to be anything more than what they are; mindless entertainment processed for public consumption. no lectures, no messages. this video can not make that claim. i see you've noticed my 'Deliverance' comment, yet you failed to read/remember the previous post(s) to which it was a response. i was making note (sarcastically as it were) that this cartoon isn't the only depiction of pejoritive sterotypes available, and white america is subject just like any other group. (i actually thought the movie was alright, and it was filmed in my home state) as far as your shock at the "loaded" nature of my comment, it would seem your delicate sensibilities have specific immunity to backreading the post(s) to which it was a response.(and/or its your first day on the internet-if so...welcome) i am familiar with inner city sterotypes better than you know and am aware of the truthful aspect(s) within them. but the question i was asking which you nor your anonymous compatriots have suficently answered in my mind was to the purpose of this PSA. yes, it was funny. but to paraphrase my previous post...how is this video going to effect change in its supposed target audience? perhaps it is satire as jmc39 observantly noted. or perhaps its just entertainment disguised as a racially meaningful message. how's that for "loaded"?

"maybe the healing power of our projected laughter will convince this lost generation to find its way home."

I think it's a mistake to assume our generation (or any) has gotten things right. I'm sure 15 years from now this so called "lost generation" will criticize the generation beneath them. And they'll be wrong too. Let's not be so judgmental. That's all I'm saying.

Was raised in the ghetto . . . got out through hard-work and the willingness to get an education. Some friends/relatives are still there . . . I keep in touch, visit often but don't want and will NOT go back.

That said, I f*in' LOVED this video. Somebody really needed to saw this YEARS ago. And if no one actually comes out and says this, when do you think folk gonna figure out some things? Do you really think they are going to figure it out on their own? Won't they have done that by now? Do you really think they are going to "listen" to some square-ass up-tight person telling them in a "serious," tone that maybe they should go to the library and read a book? Darlin' they beat you DOWN for carrying a book.

In my neighborhood, every day at 3PM 500 feet from the school I had to use my BOOKS to fight my neighborhood friends because I was taking "college courses" and carrying those said "books." So, me telling them nicely and with concern that maybe they should read a book . . . would have ended with me laying on the concrete spitting out my teeth.

putting down people won't get through to them. blacks did not get here by ourselves. we did not create the projects, we did not recreate racism which gives blacks lower education, lower paying jobs, and forces them to be out of the homes so that they can't parent as well. black men are constantly dehumanized in the working world, stripped of their "manliness" and thus some take it out on their wives and spouses. is it right? no? but is that one of the reasons why there are so many broken families? yes.

You weren't a slave. Your parents weren't slaves. At what point does responsibility for your life start with you?

One of my ancestors was an (white) indentured servant forced to come to the U.S. to work off a debt. She worked in the fields alongside the other farmhands (mostly other indentureds, since this was in the north). Once her time was done, she didn't have the money to return so she was stuck here: with no money, no education, and not speaking much of the local language.

In everything offensive there is truth, to argue of something like this is wrong in the minds of anyone who is actually working towards a change in our communities. Get over yourselves and help make a damn change. Here's a true story yesterday I stopped over my moms house to check on my lil brother and sister. Who are usually at each other necks over the simplest of shit, And what do I find?Both of them in the living room READING A MUTHAFUCCIN BOOK!!! I ask them why? This was odd to me, it's summertime. They took me to a site called youtube and showed me this video i died laughing. Nevertheless I stopped at books-a-million today

firstly, recognize the context. BET didn't "make" this video, they PAID for it, a BLACK hip hop artist and a BLACK director/animation artist "made" it. it was neither the idea of BET or VIACOM.

however, the exploitation by VIACOM and BET of black culture should be part of this discussion. As well so should the System of Male/White Supremacy which our current world (globally) operates under should be included in this discussion as well. none of these things happen in a vacuum. they are all related.

secondly, this video was intended to stir debate, get people to think more critically about the world around them and how they relate/ participate in it and perhaps get out and attempt to improve things in their communities and homes. what were all of you critics talking about before this video? i for one am at least glad this dialogue is being engaged.

I first saw this video while Rap City was on. The genius of it to me was how the minstrelsy of the 'serious' videos that followed stuck out in contrast to the intentionally over the top minstrelsy of 'Read a Book'. What this video accomplishes is dually effective. It has a simple lifestyle message that we all need indoctrinated and it mocks some current misguided practices of our Black culture to the point that it becomes embarrassing to us willing or complacent members. All the subsequent videos with spinning rims, booty shaking, drinking/clubbing, etc look so foolish after this video. Its amazing to see people condenmn this as racist. If you are offended by this video, you better have been offended by the whole rap game from NWA on down. Trust me, if we were to rank rap's uses of the n-word from most abusive on down, "read a book, n.." wouldn't even appear in the top thousand. (Fill in violent act or deragatory expletive) that n... are on like every top selling album now.

I find it very interesting that there is such a vast difference of opinions here. I wish I knew each blogger personally. Is it that those who find the profanity, booty shaking and vulgarity spirited and useful are the same people who have not been educated properly themselve? It's not meant to offend. I simply don't think this method is encouraging the uplifting of blacks. We're saying to all of society that this is the only way to get the attention of our people. As a matter of fact let me digress from just including blacks and open the spectrum up to the ghetto which can include whites, hispanic and just about anyone else who finds themselves in a less than fortunate environment. We're increasing the ignorance and sending the message that it's okay if you disgrace yourself as long as you have a point. With the influence that the media and celebrities have why is that we need to use the profanity, the derogatory language, the stereotypes that follow us daily? Would a young man not respond to Jay-Z simply telling him to read a book, if the rap mogul said that it was a factor in making him the name he is today? The uneducated have dreams and most are hungry enough to suceed that they would do just about anything to do so. But when they suceed off of something like this they take with them the vulgarity that brought them to this place and it becomes a vicious cycle. What do we want our future to be- what do we want our legacy to be? Is this a lesson or another way for people to think we're just that ignorant.

If this had been created by anybody but two young African-Americans, it seems like the response would be one of universal disgust. Or what if MTV, with its white executives, had been the first to air it, rather than BET? Seems to me we'd have another Don Imus situation, and rightfully so. The depiction of women is flagrantly offensive and the implication of the lyrics (that black people are so unaware of their own stupidity and foul odors that they have to have it screamed in their face just to realize) is also a pretty gross distortion of a small truth that the makers are trying to comment on. It seems that we're applying a double standard here and letting two guys who made and distributed wildly offensive material off the hook because we still believe that people can't profit off of exploiting racism towards their own race.

triphop was getting to the point when he notes, as he calls them "degrading and dehumanizing" aspects of this video.

As good or noble a message as drinking water and owning land are, the video undermines the effect. Sure, it's a good message. But how do smart, articulate African Americans feel about it? Resentful? Thankful? Angry? I'm a white guy (as I'm suspecting a few of you posting comments are), so I can't speak on behalf of the African American community.

But Jesse Jackson is disappointed. Any time you see infighting between Jesse Jackson and another figure in the African American community, it's not doing anyone any good.

Especially when it's something that undermines AND amuses at the same time......

I'm a white guy who happened onto this post due to the NPR bit yesterday. The trouble I find with this song revolves around the targeted audience. At what age do we feel that it is appropriate to listen to this song. I would try to keep my kids away from the language until they were teenagers. I would fear that they weren't mature enough to understand the sarcasm. However, the love of reading needs to be intilled in just these young kids. Do we really think some drunk 19 year old is going to open up Invisible Man tomorrow because this was blasting in the club tonight? The message is great and the packaging is slick, but the two don't compliment each other. Either you are informed enough to "get it", in which case you probably don't need help, or you are base enough to just hear the beat and the N word. To some, this would just legitimize that language (see, even that smart black teacher talks like that). The song points out the problem but does nothing to solve it - that is unless it motivates individuals like us to do something.

the thing to take away from what the creators say here is that the purpose of the video is to parody rap videos and their treatment of women and young black folks, not to demonize young poor black people.

This video makes me smile because I honestly hope that it influences at least one person out there to do something with their lives that is worth while. It would be great if more videos were out there like this so we can improve our world by tearing down styreotypes.

I came across this video in my English class with the context of reviewing it in light of the "hip-hop is dead" controversy. I think it can be taken a multitude of different ways. Perhaps it's a sarcastic jab at the hip-hop industry, or a deeper message which can be found by the viewer. I took it as being more of an illustration of how even if the message behind the music changes, the images and word choice still play a critical role.While the message can clearly be considered positive with statements such as "read a book...brush your teeth...wear deodorant", the images and profanities used distort the "goodness" of the message itself."B-O-O-K" is written across the ass of a scantily clad dancer shaking "what her mama gave her". While the message remains the same (that it is a good thing to read books), the images are still condoning the degradation of women. The song commands, "A Motherf***ing book n***er!" and while I have no problem with obscenities, the obvious feeling behind them is angry and hateful. This, again, distorts the original message of the song.

where should i start? put it like this. i have had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing the writer of this little song for my University's student newspaper. for everyone sitting around talking about how this was written to educate certain groups of people... you are wrong. for those of you sitting around talking about how it was written to mock certain groups of people...you too are wrong. the writer of this song told me that this song was not written for any of that. its purpose was to get him noticed as an artiist. and i dont know about what you all have to say but i must say that it served its puurpose. he said that he was tired of putting out music that went unrecognized (like the opening of the video states) and he decided to write a song in the style of music that was popular at the time, which so happened to be the lil jon, crunk music, repetitive style. he says this song is not to fix any situation, just to make you think and get him rich. everyone who has listened to this song has done both. you have thought about how you feel about this song and its content and you have helped him make a little more money. as a reporter it is my job to always search for truth and to sit and listen to a bunch of people ramble on about something that they know nothing about is rather amusing. so before you decide to sit around and create issues for "certain communities" to fix....FIX YOUR OWN LIVES!!!!!!